Tethered ball for sports practice

ABSTRACT

A tethered ball tennis practice device having a support arm pivotally attached at one of its ends to a vertical support surface whereby the arm will pivot in a horizontal plane. A tennis ball has an elastic cord extending diametrically therethrough. One end of the elastic cord is attached to the support arm at the end which is remote from the vertical support surface. The other end of the elastic cord is attached to the vertical support surface at a point below the support arm. The arm may be locked in an extended position which is substantially perpendicular to the support wall. In the extended position, the tennis ball is suspended for tennis practice. When the arm is pivoted to a stored position the arm, ball and the tether lie substantially against the vertical wall. The device may also be locked in the stored position.

United States Patent l Burchett July 23, 1974 i 1 TETHERED BALL FOR SPORTS PRACTICE [76] inventor: Paul James Burchett, 410 Acacia,

Corona Del Mar, Calif. 92625 {22] Filed: Dec. 11, 1972 {21] Appl. No.: 261,734

[52] US. Cl 273/29 A, 273/26 E [51] Int. Cl A63b 69/38 [58] Field of Search 273/26 E, 29 A, 30,58 C, 273/95 A, 95 AA, 200 R, 200 A, 200 B, 97

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,247,072 6/l94l Stow 273/29 A 2,842,264 7/1958 Larson 248/225 Primary Examiner-Richard C; Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Theatrice Brown [57] ABSTRACT A tethered ball tennis practice device having a support arm pivotally attached at one of its ends to a vertical support surface whereby the arm will pivot in a horizontal plane. A tennis ball has an elastic cord extending diametrically therethrough. One end of the elastic cord is attached to the support arm at the end which is remote from the vertical support surface. The other end of the elastic cord is attached to the vertical support surface at a point below the support arm. The arm may be locked in an extended position which is substantially perpendicular to the support wall. In the extended position, the tennis ball is suspended for ten nis practice. When the arm is pivoted to a stored position the arm, ball and the tether lie substantially against the vertical wall. The device may also be locked in the stored position.

1 Claim, 1 Drawing Figure 1 TETHERED BALL FOR SPORTS PRACTICE This invention relates to sports devices, and more particularly to those used for sharpening skills involving stroking at a ball while it is in midair. Some sports where players can benefit from this type of practice are baseball, tennis and paddle tennis.

The coordination of a swinging object like a tennis racket to hit a fast-moving target like a tennis ball involves many variable factors. With the use of my invention several of these variables are eliminated, so that the player can concentrate on the development of an efficient stroke. When the proper stroking has become fairly consistent the ball-flight variables can be added, and handled with less confusion.

One device has been marketed in an attempt to provide a captive practice ball. lt consists of a heavy and rigid frame which supports the upper end of an elastic cord. The lower end is tied to a heavy pedestal that rests on the ground. If this device is used on a tennis court, removal requires the effort of several persons to carry it off the court. The pedestal restricts footwork necessary with ground strokes, and the vertical direction of the elastic cord prevents use of the device for service practice.

A primary object of my invention, therefore is to provide a practice ball suspension usuable within a normal playing area, yet instantly removable from that area.

Another object of this invention is to support a practice ball in a manner that allows a variety of strokes to be used with it.

A further object is to provide an inexpensive and light-weight support structure for a practice ball.

The present invention eliminates the need for a heavy and rigid structure, by utilizing the existing vertical surface of fencing along the court for support. The upper end of the elastic cord is attached to an arm extending out from the plane of the fence. The lower end of the cord is attached to the fence at a ground point directly below the upper arm attachment. The cord then becomes the hypotenuse of a right triangle. This arrangement has three distinct advantages over the previously described device. Firstly, the upper arm can store against the fence without disconnecting either end of the cord. Secondly, footwork is allowable in the clear area below the ball. Thirdly, overhead smashes and services can be practiced without running into the cord.

Referring now to the drawing, which shows a preferred embodiment of the invention, practice ball has elastic cord 11 passing directly thru holes 12 and 13. These holes are small relative to the diameter of cord ll, so that ball 10 can be moved anywhere along the length of cord 11, but will remain in one location until moved by hand. The bottom end of cord ll is tied to lower fence portion 14 at location 15. The top end of cord 11 has a loop 16 passing thru hole 17 in support arm 18.

Hinge 19 attaches arm 18 to inner plate 20, and allows arm 18 to pivot along path 21 to position 22. When arm 18 is stowed in position 22, ball 10 goes to position 23 and cord 11 to position 24. Clip 25 is attached to central fence portion 26, and serves to lock cord 11 in position 24 when ball 10 is not in use. The entire assembly is thus held flat against the fence when not in use, allowing unobstructed access to the adjacent playing area. The length of cord ll remains the same in either the extended or stowed position.

Bolts 27 and 28 pass thru upper fence portion 29 and thru outer plate 30, causing plates 20 and 30 to clamp fence portion 29 between them. Hook 31 pivots in ring 32 attached to plate 20, and engages eye 33 in arm 18 to lock ball 10 in extended position. Arm 18 is located high enough to clear an overhead smash with a tennis racket, and is long enough to allow ball 10 to be about eight inches from fence portion 14, when used for the lowest ground strokes. Forehand and backhand strokes of left and right-handed players can all be accommodated by facing the ball from either direction.

While the invention has been described in detail relative to one preferred embodiment, several variations may be made within the spirit of the disclosure. For instance, the support arm can be attached to the fence in many different ways, and can retract by bringing down or by rotating or folding. Consequently, the invention is only limited in scope as indicated by the extent of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A captive ball apparatus comprising: a ball, an elastic cord passing through said ball, said ball being adjustable along said cord, a vertical support wall for supporting said cord and said ball, support means, said support means comprising a plate means and an elongated arm means, said arm means having one of its ends pivotally connected to said plate means and said plate means being attached to said vertical support wall such that said arm will pivotally swing in a substantially horizontal plane and whereby said arm will be capable of assuming substantially parallel and perpendicular positions relative to said wall, said elastic cord having one of its ends attached to said wall at a point below said plate means and its other end being attached to said arm at a point remote from said plate means such that said ball will be positioned between said attachment points, the length of said elastic cord being substantially the same when said arm is in said perpendicular and parallel positions, and means for locking said arm in said parallel and perpendicular positions. 

1. A captive ball apparatus comprising: a ball, an elastic cord passing through said ball, said ball being adjustable along said cord, a vertical support wall for supporting said cord and said ball, support means, said support means comprising a plate means and an elongated arm means, said arm means having one of its ends pivotally connected to said plate means and said plate means being attached to said vertical support wall such that said arm will pivotally swing in a substantially horizontal plane and whereby said arm will be capable of assuming substantially parallel and perpendicular positions relative to said wall, said elastic cord having one of its ends attached to said wall at a point below said plate means and its other end being attached to said arm at a point remote from said plate means such that said ball will be positioned between said attachment points, the length of said elastic cord being substantially the same when said arm is in said perpendicular and parallel positions, and means for locking said arm in said parallel and perpendicular positions. 